The findings presented by the Howard Mitchell-led review team to Parliament on January 13, on the operations of the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI), should be seen as a mirror of the painful daily experiences of ordinary Jamaicans who seek care at the institution and who often encounter a healthcare system burdened by outdated structures and inefficient processes.

My own experience accompanying my elderly mother to the UHWI painfully confirmed this reality.

Remembering the eight hours spent waiting in the emergency department before admission, I could not help but reflect on how disconnected management systems often seem from patients’ and families’ lived experiences. The presence of many professional, compassionate and dedicated nurses and doctors is a reminder of an institution pouring new wine into old wine skins of management structure.